The following exchange between former New Jersey Govs. Brendan Byrne and Tom Kean took place in a teleconference last week.

Q: Do Bret Schundler's and Donald DiFrancesca's reciprolcal accusations of abusing the public trust set a tone for the kind of campaign we're going to see between now and the June primary election? And, if so, does that kind of fight benefit Jim McGreevey?

BYRNE:
I think it does benefit McGreevey, although if Schundler and DiFrancesco stayed on the issues it would help McGreevey more. These accusations pass, but pinning down your opponent on some basic issues would last through the fall. Assuming Schundler lost, and assuming he was correct on the issues, McGreevey could pick up on Schundler's issues.

KEAN:
In some ways a primary helps because you get not only more familiar with the issues but more skilled in presenting your point of view on them. By the time a good primary is over, you should be honed and articulate on the issues and ready for fall. Donnie may be better prepared for McGreevey than if there were no primary.

BYRNE:
I think if we had a primary I'd take that position too.

KEAN:
All I can say is my primary helped me. I was a better candidate because of it.

BYRNE:
Basically the candidates are close enough on the issues. I think they perceive the public as not being persuaded on issues, and they have to resort to what's left, which is the down-and-dirty stuff. And that's too bad.

KEAN:
A campaign that doesn't deal with issues is not good for anybody - not the party, not the public, not the system. I believe there are a significant number of issues on which DiFrancesco and Schundler differ substantially. That's what they ought to be talking about.

BYRNE:
Maybe Donnie doesn't want to focus on those. Schundler has unique positions on some of those, like school vouchers and efficiency in government, that Donnie would rather not discuss. In fact, there may be more issues between Schundler and DiFrancesco than there are between Donnie and McGreevey.

KEAN:
That's always possible, but it's very early to determine what this fall's issues will be and how the candidates will position themselves.

BYRNE:
In terms of the accusations going back and forth between DiFrancesco and Schundler, it's too bad there isn't some responsible and recognized body to whom you can make these personal allegations and get an honest evaluation, instead of these two-day, back-and-forth headlines.

KEAN:
It would be good, because the public's sick of it. Whether one or the other is right, the public looks on it as additional name-calling.

Q: Will the Clintons' continuing

problems have a long-term effect

on the Democratic Party?

BYRNE:
I think it has eroded Clinton as leader or spokesman for the Democratic Party, but I don't think the average American thinks Clinton's conduct, especially in terms of the pardons, is a hallmark of Democratic policy.

KEAN:
If I were a Democrat I'd take that position. But in fact I don't know a single Democrat who is not deeply troubled. Clinton has been spokesman of the party for eight years. It has no other spokesman. His wife, the senator from New York, will continue to be a vocal representative of the party; his chief supporter, Terry McAuliffe, is now running the party as chairman of the Democratic National Committee. So the Clintons are firmly in places of leadership, and are going to be there for some time, whether some Democrats like it or not.

BYRNE:
You said it all in the first sentence. There isn't a single Democrat who isn't upset by Clinton's conduct. And that's true, but it doesn't represent the thrust of the Democratic Party.

Q: Does acting Gov. DiFrancesco's putting the new arena on hold mean the field is open again and the Meadowlands is back in the running?

BYRNE:
I don't think he said that. I think he said he wants to take a more careful look, and there are things to look at. But I don't think that sends you back to the Meadowlands, nor do I think Donnie D. thinks that.

KEAN:
The owners of the Devils and the Nets have made it clear for some time that the Meadowlands is not an alternative, that the alternatives are Newark or New York, and that will be determined some time in the next six months.

What DiFrancesco has said is that he wants to look over the Whitman deal and examine it, and it's right and fair for him to do that. I hope, with his legislative skills, he finds a way to keep all our teams in New Jersey.